UFO CONFRONTS POLICE IN RENO

At 5:45 p.m. on February 12, 1996, a black or dark gray spheroid UFO flew west out of the desert and passed over Sparks, Nevada. The UFO was described as about 60 feet in diameter with a bright white light in the bottom hemisphere. The beam from the light, however, was not bright enough to reach the ground. Crossing into the city of Reno, the UFO flew over Paradise Park and headed west along Oddie Boulevard until it reached the Livestock Events Center, just north of Interstate 80 and a mile or so north of downtown Reno and city hall. A Reno P.D. cruiser spotted the UFO and halted. One officer called for backup. A second cruiser arrived at 5:52 p.m. Several civilian eyewitnesses also approached the spot and watched the hovering UFO. One witness reportedly shot four minutes of videotape with a camcorder before the object abruptly vanished. When this sighting was reported on Reno TV stations, the UFO was said to be a "runaway weather balloon."

NEW CATTLE MUTILATIONS IN ALABAMA

On February 20, 1996, farmer Milton Mins of Asbury, Alabama, a tiny town near Albertville discovered that one of his cows had been killed and mutilated. Mins described the wound as "a perfectly round incision" in the cow's ear. He also saw a mysterious blue-and-white helicopter flying over his farm just prior to the mutilation.

On February 9, 1996, farmer James Pittman, 60, found one of his prize Holstein cows dead. The animal weighed 1,100 lbs. and had large incisions measuring eight inches long and six inches deep. Pittman's farm is located on Stand Mountain, near Huntsville, Alabama.

Two more mutilated cows were also reported in Boaz, a small town in Marshall County. The incidents reportedly took place around February 9.

In 1992 and 1993, there were 30 cases of cattle mutilation in this same area.

NEWSPAPER EXPOSES CANADA'S X-FILES

Canada has its very own X-Files. According to the Regina, Saskatchewan Leader- Post, there are 186 official UFO reports tucked away in the National Archives in Ottawa. They're listed under the heading of "Non-Meteoric Sightings."

Many of the reports were filed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The Leader-Post story, which appeared in the December 30, 1995 issue, listed two recent UFO incidents in Manitoba.

The RCMP in Gimli, a lakeport town 44 kilometers north of Winnipeg, received a report from two men who saw "a large doughnut-shaped object" flying east and passing over Lake Winnipeg. The UFO was 100 meters (60 feet) in diameter, had a small dome on top and had twelve pulsating lights running evenly around the rim. No date for this sighting was given in the Leader-Post.

Two witnesses in Lynn Lake, Manitoba told the RCMP that they had seen "a green fireball falling slowly from the sky." In his report, the RCMP constable noted that many meteors had been seen in the area recently. Again, no date was given.

However, the Leader-Post did date all the other 1995 UFO sightings listed in the article. So here is Canada's UFO Year in Review. Enjoy!

February 5, 1995 - Pictou, Nova Scotia - A round UFO slightly brighter than the surrounding stars separated into three smaller objects. After several minutes of hectic flying about, the trio recombined, and the reconstituted UFO zipped away.

April 10, 1995 - Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan - Four copper-colored cigar-shaped UFOs appeared in the night sky. They flitted about, changing places with each other, and then they disappeared.

July 11, 1995 - Stittsville, Ontario - At 11:30 p.m., two witnesses
spied a "star-like object" in the night sky. The UFO zigzagged sharply before vanishing.

July 15, 1995 - Red Deer, Alberta - A man and a woman saw "an object with a reddish glow speed along in a straight line." They had this UFO in sight for just over three minutes. Although the object "had flapping wings," they are sure it wasn't a bird or a plane. (Hey, you don't suppose it was Hawkman, do you!?)

November 20, 1995 - Casselman, Ontario - At 5:45 a.m., a young man driving to work saw "a fuzzy object with bright lights" flying ahead of him at treetop level. The UFO's lights did not shine on the roadway or the ground.

December 1, 1995 - Scarborough, Ontario - A homeowner saw a bright flash in the night sky. Then his power went out. He Phone Hydro Quebec, but the company told him there was nothing wrong with their generators.

December 5, 1995 - Metagami, Quebec - A pilot saw a bright light and explosion in the sky, followed by debris raining onto the snowy ground. Two other aircraft aloft also spotted the flash. No explanation from the Quebec provincial police.

December 12, 1995 - Whistler, British Columbia - Three friends saw "a round object with flashing lights" hovering above the slopes of Blackcomb Mountain. The RCMP constable summoned to the scene also saw the UFO.

December 15, 1995 - Ferryland, Newfoundland - Local fishermen spotted a "white object with green edges, about the size of a pickup truck" fall from the sky into the ocean.

Next week - More from Canada's X-Files, including the Fort Resolution UFO film and the strange case of Taharti Lake.

THE MICHIGAN "AIRSHIP" FLAP OF 1897

Most UFO researchers have heard of the Great Airship Mystery of 1896-1897. This was the first UFO flap in modern times. No place reported more "airship" sightings than the southwest corner of Michigan.

Thanks to the Michigan Anomaly Research Group, this flap has been thoroughly documented. Here are the startling UFO sightings of nearly a century ago...

April 12, 1897 - Niles, Michigan - Several people reported "a bright electric light" flying over the town, followed by two colored lights, one red, the other green.

April 12, 1897 - New Troy, Michigan - A "mystery airship" approached a group of people in the town and hovered in place for several minutes.

April 12, 1897 - Kalamazoo, Michigan - A dozen people, including the editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette, watched a mysterious bright light fly over the center of the city at an estimated speed of 45 to 60 miles per hour. The UFO was described as "a reddish-green light of great intensity that was six times larger than any star in the sky. It was about a half mile (2,600 feet) high and was moving in a northerly direction." (Note: Kalamazoo has been a UFO hot spot for years. Also, in 1986, the first Elvis Presley sighting was at a Burger King in Kalamazoo.)

April 14, 1897 - Constantine, Michigan - At 10:45 p.m., several citizens saw a "mysterious light, one quarter the size of the full moon" heading north with a zigzag motion. One witness estimated its speed at 60 miles per hour.

April 15, 1897 - Schoolcraft, Michigan - Here, at 10:45 p.m., five people saw a mysterious object fly over the town.

April 17, 1897 - Three Rivers, Michigan - A number of people saw an aerial object flying past the outskirts of town, heading north.